


Changes

by AoiTsukikage



Category: DREAM!ing (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Motorcycles, Pre-Relationship, graduation talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 04:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16825336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoiTsukikage/pseuds/AoiTsukikage
Summary: “Careful,” Chizuru’s voice has gone low, dangerous, and Mikage can’t for the life of him tell if he’s actually angry.  “I’m starting to think you might actually care about me.”“Yeah, well, think again,” Mikage snorts.  “I just think your potential’s being wasted, and if we’re going to take over the world together, I need you at your best."





	Changes

The trees are beginning to bloom. 

It’s not as if he makes a point to notice, really, but when the light, sweet scent of flowers fills the air as he heads outside of the school buildings it’s kind of impossible not to be aware of it. 

And getting sentimental about the seasons shifting isn’t something he’s prone to because, well, that’s what seasons _do_ , but with the end of the year approaching and the impending graduation of the third years it might be more heavily on his mind than usual. 

Not for himself, though. Yes, he’s gotten used to rooming with Issei and it will be strange to not have him around, but it’s not as if they’re dependent on each other and he’s fairly sure he can handle whoever is chosen to room with him once the new term starts. 

But for others...he taps his pencil idly against the desk, his eyes searching out Chizuru. The other boy is staring out the window, the fingers of one hand twined around his braid the way they always do when he’s stressed or nervous. Not that Mikage pays that much attention to him, of _course_ not, but he’s been acting weird for a couple of weeks now and it’s unsettling. 

Mikage has an idea of what it’s about, especially considering that Jin is away on another of his frequent trips right now and had insisted Chizuru stay back because of exams, but getting him to admit that would be the difficult part. 

Class ends uneventfully and Mikage saunters over to Chizuru’s desk, pulling a crisp manga issue from his bag and slapping it down had enough to get his attention. Chizuru blinks like he’s waking up from a trance, his fingers reaching for the book even as Mikage yanks it back and stuffs it away.

“Not here, Chizu-chan,” he smirks, leaning closer. “If you want to read it, we can do it together on my bed later.”

Chizuru nods idly, gathering his things and scuttling from the room, and Mikage stares after him with growing suspicion. 

Normally that kind of blatant innuendo would have turned him into a blushing, stammering mess, but he hadn’t reacted at _all_. 

Something was seriously wrong, and it’s not like he _cares_ , but…

But he’s going to try to get to the bottom of it anyway. 

-

Issei is surprisingly perceptive when it comes to things like this. Mikage’s a creature of habit, after all, and when the first thing he does upon returning from classes _isn’t_ to do an overview of all of his stocks it’s probably instantly suspicious. 

“What’s up?” Issei doesn’t look like he expects a straight answer and Mikage’s not prone to giving him one, but this time at least it would be far better if his meeting with Chizuru were to be conducted in private. “Do you need me to clear out?”

“I’m expecting company,” he says, deliberately vague, and Issei nods a few times before springing to his feet.

“Well! I won’t interrupt you, then!” he darts by, stopping for only a moment to rest his hand on Mikage’s shoulder and give him a look that’s far too knowing for his normal boisterous personality. 

Of course, Mikage thinks as he grabs his coat and vacates the room, Issei and Jin are close. He might know more about the situation than anyone, and he’s a good last resort, but talking to Chizuru directly is a much better place to start. 

Because Chizuru would certainly not take kindly to Mikage going behind his back, and he respects the other boy too much to be sneaky when it comes to things like this. They’ll tease each other incessantly and use insults as a form of affection, sure, but Mikage feels like this is more serious than that.

Deep down, he values Chizuru a lot more than he’s willing to admit even to himself. 

He sets the manga on the bed and shrugs his school blazer off, sticking a lollipop idly into his mouth and waiting for Chizuru to arrive. 

-

He makes his appearance about an hour later, and Mikage scrutinizes him closely as he moves into the room. His posture is a little stooped, his normally precise movements jerky like the very air around him has become thick, and there are wayward hairs escaping from his braid that Mikage is very sure he would have fixed immediately had he noticed. 

Still, he picks up the manga without hesitaing and Mikage decides to let him be. In some ways, Chizuru can be like a small animal, and Mikage knows pushing him too hard or too fast will either cause him to get defensive or to run away. 

He wants answers, this time, so he’ll play it at Chizuru’s pace instead. 

There’s silence then except for the idle flipping of pages as Chizuru makes his way through the issue, his brow furrowed and his red eyes half-narrowed while he takes in the story. He looks...relaxed, or as relaxed as Mikage ever gets to see him.

When he finishes he sighs, placing the manga aside and raising his eyes to meet Mikage’s. 

“What did you really want to see me for?”

“Can’t a man simply want to spend time with his-”

The look on Chizuru’s face stops him and he switches tactics again, because apparently today flirting and being flippant aren’t going to get him anywhere. 

“Come with me,” he decides, grabbing his jacket and shrugging into it. He picks up two helmets and holds one out, waiting for Chizuru to take it from his fingers. 

“Where are we going?”

“For a ride,” Mikage replies, winking over his shoulder, and Chizuru lets out a resigned sigh but follows him obediently to where his bike is parked. Mikage slides into the seat, feeling the familiar curves of his motorcycle and sinking into it. He waits for Chizuru to settle behind him, waits for his arms to come around his waist. “Hold on tight,” he murmurs, the throaty tone of his voice matching the purring of the bike when he starts it up.

Chizuru doesn’t reply and the ride is silent, but then, that’s hardly unusual since it’s not easy to talk over the roaring of the wind. Mikage guides the bike with expert hands, smoothly maneuvering around the curves in the road as it winds toward the sea.

It’s cliche, probably, to have a serious conversation overlooking the waves while the sun sets behind them, but maybe getting Chizuru out of the stuffiness of the school, away from the location that’s causing him pain, will prompt him to be more honest. 

Really, Mikage’s putting in a _lot_ of effort for him, so he’d better reciprocate somehow. 

“Mikage,” Chizuru’s voice breaks him out of his musings as they park and he hops off of the bike, his hair even more missed now thanks to the helmet. “Why did you bring me here?”

“To talk,” Mikage pulls a lollipop out of his jacket, swirling his tongue around the sweet candy before sliding it into his mouth. He offers one to Chizuru too, grinning when it’s accepted almost before he’s done extending his arm. “You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Spring allergies,” Chizuru replies, far too quickly. “The changing weather is wreaking havoc on my sinuses.”

“Uh-huh,” Mikage says dryly. “Right.”

He doesn’t expand on that, deciding he’s got all night if they need it, and Chizuru starts fidgeting more and more before his shoulders slump. 

“You’re not going to let go of this, are you?” he asks quietly, his teeth tight around the lollipop stick in his mouth. 

“Nope,” Mikage agrees, leaning back against his bike and letting the salty breeze ruffle his hair. “So either you talk or I’ll guess increasingly sordid things just to make you blush.”

“You’re an evil man,” Chizuru growls and Mikage wants to say something about the pot and the kettle but, let’s face it, Chizuru already knows. “What’s your honest guess, then?”

“You’re stressed because Jin-san’s away and it’s making you realize that next year he won’t be around at all,” Mikage doesn’t see any need to sugar-coat it, though from the rather flinch-inducing sound of Chizuru chomping down hard on the lollipop he knows he’s right. 

Chizuru shakes his head, squinting his eyes shut. “If you knew, then why bother kidnapping me and taking me here?”

“Hardly kidnapping when you came of your own free will,” Mikage chuckles. “You just like being pressed up against me, don’t you?”

And _that_ gets the blush he’s been looking for all day, Chizuru’s cheeks coloring instantly as he averts his eyes and clears his throat. 

“Look,” Mikage steps a little closer. “I know you and Jin-san have this thing, and to begin with I kinda disliked him for it.”

“How dare you speak ill of-“

“ _Hush_ , butler-boy,” Mikage talks over him. “As I was saying, to begin with I thought he was...lording it over you. Abusing his position. But then I saw how he treated you and I realized...the reason he’s been leaving without you lately, don’t you think it’s because he wants you to have a life of your own?”

Chizuru doesn’t answer right away, his lips pursed around the lollipop stick, and when he pulls it out of his mouth Mikage can see that the end is covered in tooth-marks, the paper already starting to turn into a soggy mess. He holds it between his fingers, letting it hang out over the railing overlooking the water.

“What are you implying? That Jin-san is displeased by my services? My family…”

“That’s just it, isn’t it? This is what your family expects of you, because that’s how it’s always been. But you’re not a butler, Chizu-chan. I mean, you look damn good in a suit and you’ve become accustomed to it, but being polite and staying in the background isn’t you.”

Chizuru’s head whips around to look at him, so fast his own braid nearly smacks him in the face. His eyes are wide and while Mikage suspects that none of this is new information to him, it might be the first time he’s heard it from somebody else. 

“Saying ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir,’ doing chores and errands and everything short of wiping his ass for him? He probably hates it, too,” Mikage leans on the railing now, glancing sideways at Chizuru.

“Careful,” Chizuru’s voice has gone low, dangerous, and Mikage can’t for the life of him tell if he’s actually angry. “I’m starting to think you might actually care about me.”

“Yeah, well, think again,” Mikage snorts. “I just think your potential’s being wasted, and if we’re going to take over the world together, I need you at your best,” he slides closer, reaching to press his fingers under Chizuru’s chin and tilt his head up. “You and that sharp mind and that wicked, wicked tongue.”

Chizuru’s mouth falls open a bit, a gasp slipping between his parted lips before he scrambles backwards and nearly ends up falling. 

“That’s entirely inappropriate!” he snaps, straightening up and adjusting his blazer. “And completely off-topic.”

“I’ve said all that I wanted to,” Mikage hums, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. “So if you want to talk, talk - or else you can mull it over on the ride home.”

“Fine,” Chizuru buffs and steps back beside him, his eyes unfocused at he stares at the horizon. “I’m not an idiot. I know Jin-san won’t be attending school next year, and perhaps I am a little...perplexed, as so much of my life truly does revolve around him. Having that time to myself is a luxury I’m unused to.”

“There are plenty of ways to fill time, Chizu-chan,” Mikage moves behind him, arms slipping around his trim waist and his chin coming to rest on his shoulder. Chizuru leans into him slightly, like standing up on his own is too much work right now.

“I would feel bad imposing on you-“

“No you wouldn’t,” Mikage returns, shutting him up immediately. “You live for engaging in witty banter with me.”

“Well, life certainly isn’t _dull_ with you around,” Chizuru admits, sounding reluctant to say anything remotely resembling a compliment. 

“So depend on me more, Chizu-chan,” he murmurs into his ear, tightening his grip. “Then when the year is done you can go right back to being a little obedient butler, but let’s live a little as third years first, hmm?”

“You make it sound so appealing,” Chizuru replies dryly, his fingers sliding over Mikage’s slowly, barely touching. “I make no promises.”

“Sure, sure,” Mikage lets go of him, turning back to his bike. “Hey, did you eat yet?”

“Yes, that lollipop you gave me will fill me with sustenance for the next two days, I’m sure,” Chizuru’s got a knowing smile on his lips now and Mikage knows he’ll be okay. 

“Let me take you out for ramen and ice cream. My treat. Y’know, for 'kidnapping' you,” he says it as obnoxiously as possible, air quotes and everything, and Chizuru shoves him lightly in the chest on his way by. 

“Why, Mikage, are you asking me on a date?” Chizuru settles back onto the bike and gives him a coy look. 

“That depends. Are you planning on sharing my bed tonight?” Mikage saunters over, resting one hand beside Chizuru’s thigh and leaning close. 

Chizuru going beet red again is answer enough and Mikage laughs, swinging his leg over the bike and noting that Chizuru presses himself much closer this time. 

It’s normal, and it’s good, and Mikage finds comfort in the familiarity and the knowledge that - for them, at least - nothing has to change yet. 

-

Mikage does, in fact, pay for both dinner and dessert. 

Chizuru holds his hand on the way back to the bike. 

He’ll consider it a win. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello yes I have fallen hard into d!ing and for these two in particular so I had to write something for them!
> 
> If you want to find me and yell about idols on twitter I'm [here!](https://twitter.com/_mikarashis), and if you enjoyed the fic, feel free to leave a comment!


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